Fortunately, we are at least considerate lovers. If you include foreplay, the time jumps to 19 minutes, meaning we spend more than half of our time getting in the mood.

Online sex toy emporium Lovehoney surveyed more than 4,000 people as part of its Mind The Gap campaign, which aims to help couples come together more often.

For the majority of people, nine minutes (or the time it takes to boil an egg) is enough. Just over half of those surveyed said they’re satisfied with an efficient encounter, but a quarter of Brits need at least another 20 minutes to finish the job. Two-thirds of couples said sex should last at least 15 minutes.

Lovehoney also revealed that 21% of couples have to settle for quickies because there’s not enough time for anything else.

The news only gets worse. Sexual encounters have become so brief that couples are struggling to come together, and only a third regularly have shared orgasms.

Lovehoney sexpert Jess Wilde said: ‘For around half of couples this is the absolute peak of sexual happiness, so we are always looking at ways to help them share orgasms together with greater consistency.’

(Picture: Getty Images)

‘For women, the key to orgasming easily is to have a strong and healthy pelvic floor, and there are simple exercises they can do to strengthen the muscles in this area.’

While three-quarters of men say they orgasm almost every time they get down to business, only 28% of women could say the same.

To help our sorry state of affairs, Wilde offered some tips to help more women orgasm during intercourse.

‘Men can play their part during intercourse by making sure they hit exactly the right spot to stimulate the G-Spot during penetration – this is at 27-degrees and sex pillows can help to get you both into the optimum pose for pleasure.’